Freight-handling device.



J. SHEEHAN & G. H. GILMAN. FREIGHT HANDLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION nun MAY 2. ma.

1, 1 1 8,81 '7, Patented Nov. 24. 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHUYD-LIi'HO. WASHING TON. D C

J. SHEEHAN & G. H. GILMAN. FREIGHT HANDLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION IILIID MAY 2, 1913.

1 1 18,817, Patented Nov. 24, 1914- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

w r/vEssEs 1 THE NORRIS PETERS 60-. PHOTO-Livia, WASHING mm. D. c.

J. SHEBHAN & G. H. GILMAN.

FREIGHT HANDLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION TILED MAY 2, 1913.

1,1 18,817, Patented N0v.24, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Ill/1111a WITNESSES. V 7-- WW H A TORNEY.

THE NORRIS PETERS (0-, PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PTEN T QFFIOE.

JOHN SHEEI-IAN AND GEORGE H. GILMAN, OF BUFFALO, NEW'YOBK.

FREIGHT-HANDLING DEVICE.

Application filed May 2, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN Si-InnriAN and Gnonon I-I. GILMAN, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of the city of Buffalo, county of Erie, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Freight-I'Iandling Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The main object of our invention has been to provide a device by which a horizontal platform may be raised from one point and lowered to any other desired point within the capacity of the device, while being held in a horizontal position, even though the freight has not been properly balanced on the platform.

Another object has been to provide a de vice which shall be easy and simple to operate and by which freight may be very quickly and easily handled with a minimum expenditure of manual labor.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views of which:

Figure 1 showsaside elevation of our device. Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 shows an enlarged sectional plan view taken on line 3 -3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the rack and pinion driving device taken on line 5-5-01 Fig. 3.

In the drawings, (Fig. 1) 5 represents a fragmentary portion of a freight house in front of which our loading device is located and 6 represents a fragmentary portion of a vessel which is being loaded or unloaded.

7 represents the tower of our device which is mounted upon suitable wheels 8 placed upon tracks 9 extending along the pier adj acent to the freight house. A suitable guide rail 49 is provided for more securely holding the tower in position when loaded. This tower is arranged so as to provide a clear space-4i8 through the center thereof and the swinging arm 10 of our device is arranged to swing back and forth within the upper part of this space. The floor of the tower 7 is arranged on a. level with the floor of the freight house 5, and the clear space 48 extends from the top of the tower to the base thereof. Thus, freight beingthandled may Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24., 1914.

Serial No. 765,084.

be moved through the tower and into the freighthouse 5. The arm 10 is composed of four longitudinal members 11, 11 which are pivotally swung from the upper part of the tower. The members 11, 11 are arranged in pairs on each side of the arm 10 and each pair is pivotally secured together by means of the spacers 12, 12 and 1.3. Passing through each spacer 13 and the lower ends of themembers 11, 11 are shafts 14, 1 1. These shafts are rotatably disposed in suitable bearings and each has rigidly disposed thereon cable drums 15, 15. The shafts 1 1, 11% are connected together by means of the sprocket chain 16 which passes over suitable sprocket wheels. secured on said shafts, whereby the shafts and the drums carried thereby operate in unison. Each of the drums 15, 15 carries a cable 17 and the free ends of these cables are provided with suitable hooks 18, 18, arranged to couple onto the horizontal platform, 19, whereby the same may beraised and lowered. Spreaders t? are provided at the lower end of the cables to keep the same at the correct distance from each other when disconnected from the platform 19.

Disposed in a horizontal position and secured within the central open space 48 of the tower 7 are carriage tracks 20 and driving racks 21.

2'2 is the operating carriage of our device which is mounted on wheels 23 and movable back and forth upon the tracks 20 and driven by means of the pinions 24.

4.4 are guide rails disposed above the wheels 23 and prevent the carriage from tipping. Upon the platform 25 of the carriage 92 is mounted the operating mechanism of our device. At the forward end of the platform 25 is a hoist operating shaft 26.

This shaft is connected, preferably by means thus keeping the said shafts at their proper distance at all times.

32 is a carriage jack-shaft which is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings carried by the platform 25 and connecting a sprocket carried by this shaft with a sprocket carried by the carriage driving shaft 33 is a sprocket chain 34:.

is a clutch shaft which is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings adjacent to the jack-shaft 32. The shafts 32 and 35 are connected near one of their ends by means of the gearing 36 and near their opposite ends by a sprocket chain 37 passing over suitable sprocket wheels carried by the said shafts. The shaft 35 is provided with suitable clutch means 38, operated by the lever 39, whereby the shaft 32 may be operated in both directions. The shaft 35 is connected with the source of power preferably an eleotrio motor 40 by means of suitable gearing ll.

42 and 4-3 are the controllers for the electric motors 27 and 40, respectively.

45 represents an electric motor by which the tower 7 may be moved along the tracks 9. This motor is connected with the driving wheels of the tower in any of the well known ways and controlled by means of an operating rod 46 which extends along above the tracks 20 and within easy reach of the operator standing on the carriage.

Having thus described our invention we will now describe its operation: When it is desired, for instance, to unload the vessel 6 the cables 17 are attached to an empty horizontal freight platform 19 and the same is raised by means of the drums 15 sufficiently high so as to pass over the side of the vessel. The carriage 22 is now operated so as to push the lower end of the swinging arm 10 out over the vessel, whereupon the empty platform is lowered into the vessel, as shown in Fig. 1. When the empty platform has been placed in the desired position, the hooks 18 are uncoupled therefrom and connected to another platform which has been previously loaded with freight. The motor 27 is now operated to rotate the drums 15 and raise the platform to a suitable elevation, whereupon the motor 40 is operated and the carriage 20 moved inwardly carrying the lower end of the swinging arm 10 with it and within and through the central open space 48 in the tower 7. WVhen the loaded platform has been moved to the desired position the motor 27 is again operated to lower the same to the level of the freight house floor, whereupon the hooks 18 may be detached therefrom and then again coupled to an empty platform and the device again operated as just described. It is of course to be understood that a plurality of platforms 19 may be employed in operating our device as described, thus greatly facilitating the handling of freight. Moreover, such platforms may be mounted on wheels and, if desired, be self-propelled.

Obviously, many modifications of the details herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention or the scope of the appended claims and we do not wish to be limited to the exact embodiment herein shown and described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A freight handling device comprising a traveling towerprovided with a central vertical clear spaceextending through the same from the top to the base thereof, an arm pivotally mounted at its upper end to swing each side of its central position in the clear space of said tower, hoisting drums carried at the lower end of said arm, and means arranged to travel horizontally within the clear space of said tower for moving said arm to any desired position.

2. A freight handling device comprising a traveling tower provided with a central vertical clear space, an arm comprising two pairs of members, each pivotally mounted at its upper end to swing in the clear space of said tower, each pair of members being linked together so that a parallelogram is formed, hoisting means carried at the lower ends of said members and means arranged to travel horizontally within the clear space of said tower for moving said arm to any desired position. I

3. A freight handling device comprising a traveling tower provided with a central vertical clear space, an arm comprising two pairs of members pivotally united at their upper ends to said tower, each pair of said members being linked together so that a parallelogram is formed, shafts disposed at the lower ends of said'members, hoisting drums mounted on said shafts and provided with cables, means for operating said shafts in unison and means arranged to travel horizontally within the clear space of said tower for moving said arm to any desired positlon.

4. A freight handling device comprising a traveling tower provided with a central vertical clear space extending through the same from the top to the base thereof, an arm pivotally mounted at its upper end to swing each side of its central position in the clear 12o space of said tower, hoisting means carried by said arm, means arranged to travel hori platform has been moved to the desired posia controller arm pivotallyunited at its outer end to the lower end of said arm and at its inner end to said means, whereby the lower end of said arm may be moved back and forth within the clear space of said tower.

5. A freight handling device comprising a traveling tower provided with a central vertical clear space, an arm pivotally mounted to swing'in the clear space of said tower, hoisting drums rotatably carried at the free end of said arm and provided with cables, means for operating said drums in unison, means arranged to travel horizontally within the clear space of said tower, controller arms pivotally united at their outer ends to the free end of said arm and at their inner ends to said last mentioned means, whereby the free end of said arm may be moved to any desired position. a

6. A freight handling device comprising a traveling tower provided with a central vertical clear space extending through the same from the topto the base thereof,;an arm pivotally mounted at its upper end to swing each side of its central positionin the clear space of said tower, hoisting means carried by said arm, a carriage mounted to travel horizontally within the clear space of said tower, controller arms carried by said carriage at one of their ends and connected with said arm at their outer ends, and means for moving said carriage horizontally forward and backward.

7. A freight handling device comprising a traveling tower provided with a central vertical clear space, an arm comprising two pairs of members pivotally united at their upper ends to said tower, each pair of members being linked together so that a parallelogram is formed, hoisting means carried by said arm, a carriage mounted to travel horizontally within the clear space of said tower, means connecting said carriage to the free end of said arm, and means for moving said carriage horizontally backward and for ward.

8. A freight handling device comprising a traveling tower provided with a central vertical clear space, an arm comprising two pairs of members pivotally mounted at their upper ends to said tower, each pair of members being linked together so that a parallelogram is formed, hoistingineans carried at the lower end of said arm, a carriage mounted to travel horizontally within the clear space of said tower, controller arms carried by said carriage at one of their ends and connected with said arm at their outer ends, and means for moving said carriage horizontally backward and forward.

9. A freight handling device comprising a traveling tower provided with a central vertical clear space extending through the same from the top to the base thereof, an arm pivotally mounted at its upper end to swing each side of its central position in the clear space of said tower, hoisting means carried by said arm, tracks carried by said tower and disposed in a horizontal position in the clear space of the same, a carriage mounted upon said tracks, means connecting said carriage with said arm, gear racks secured to said tracks, driving pinions carried by said carriage and engaging said gear racks, and means for rotating said pinions, whereby the carriage and the lower end of said arm is moved back and forth.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN SI-IEEHAN. GEORGE H. GILMAN. Witnesses:

J. WM. ELLIs, WALTER H. KELLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, ny addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

